Contact & Staff Information
Main Email: sklrship@uci.edu
Telephone: (949) 824-0189
Fax: (949) 824-9761
Mail:
Scholarship Opportunities Program 193 Science Library Irvine, CA 92697-5695
Hours of Operation: Monday-Thursday, 9am-5pm, Friday, 9am-4pm (During the academic school year).
Our office is located in the 1st floor of the Science Library, in the Writing Center.
Rose Jones
Director | rjones@uci.edu
Rose has been teaching UCI students since 2000, serving in various positions including Associate Instructor for University Extension, Teaching Assistant, and, most recently, Lecturer for the Academic English Program within the School of Humanities. She obtained her B.A. in Communications Studies and Linguistics and her M.A. in Germanic Languages and Literatures, both from the University of Kansas, while her Ph.D. in German was attained from UC Irvine. Her background also includes serving as Assistant Director of the KU McNair Scholars Program—the fourth of the TRIO Programs—which assists low-income, first-generation college students prepare for and successfully apply for and eventually attain their doctoral degrees in an attempt to diversity the faculty ranks. Prior to joining UCI, Rose spent a year studying in Germany on a DAAD scholarship (equivalent to Fulbright) at Heidelberg University to research a sixteenth-century German manuscript, extant copies of which are housed in the Special Collections of both KU and Heidelberg University libraries. A firm believer in the value of higher education, she is extremely excited to join the Scholarship Opportunities Program and is committed to helping students succeed in reaching their educational goals.
Courtney Santos
Scholarship Advisor & Writing Specialist | cjsantos@uci.edu
Santos earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts from UC Riverside, a Bachelor of Arts in English from UC Irvine, and a Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) from UCI Extension. She was first to attend college in her family and a low-income transfer student. Prior to becoming a Writing Specialist in 2014, Courtney provided comprehensive administrative support to major research projects at the Digital Media and Learning Research Hub at UC Humanities Research Institute and at the Laboratory for Fluorescence Dynamics in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at UC Irvine. These positions honed her skills in grant writing, information literacy, writing for academic publications, and public-facing communications. In her first three years at SOP, Courtney expanded participation of international and undocumented students and developed new online resources to support scholarship applicants. As of 2018 Courtney has served as primary Scholarship Advisor for recipients of the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants, the Goldwater Scholarship, the Strauss Scholarship, the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, and an alternate and a finalist for Schwarzman Scholars.
Brendan Park
Scholarship Advisor & Writing Specialist | brendanp@uci.edu
Park earned his MFA in Creative Writing, Fiction, from UC Irvine in 2014 and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the College of Wooster. He has worked extensively as a lecturer at UCI, teaching all courses in the 39 series, upper-division writing courses and Academic English, and creative writing and craft classes. His rich and varied experience working with students on their writing led him eventually to the Center for Excellence in Writing and Communication, where he began working as a Writing Specialist in 2017 and soon transitioned into Scholarship Opportunities Program, where he is continually excited to support students in pursuing their dreams and has now served as either primary or secondary advisor for applicants across a wide variety of disciplines, interests, and awards, including a number of winners and finalists.
Brenda Fisher
Office Manager | blfisher@uci.edu
No photograph or bio available per request.
An Nguyen
Student Ambassador | sklrship@uci.edu
Nguyen is a rising senior, majoring in Political Science. She is responsible for coordinating student workshops, hosting advising appointments on pertinent scholarship information, and facilitating faculty and candidate correspondence for scholarship deadlines.
Darren De Leon
Lead Student Advisor | sklrship@uci.edu
De Leon is a rising senior at the University of California, Irvine, majoring in Political Science and with a minor in International Studies. He was born and raised in North Hollywood, California, a quaint but nevertheless eccentric “borough” of Los Angeles. As a first-generation college student entering his third year of working with SOP, he is proud to lead, serve, and participate in efforts that further success of UCI undergraduate students.
Jeremy Bunda
Student Advisor | sklrship@uci.edu
Bunda is a 3rd year student currently pursuing a double major in Economics and Political Science and a minor in Art History. One of his interests as a pre-law student is the regulation of securities and his long-term career goal is to serve as an attorney for the United States government. As a SOP Student Advisor, he is responsible for conducting advising appointments with students, processing scholarship application materials, and assisting the office in running outreach events.
Irene Morales
Student Advisor | sklrship@uci.edu
Morales is a second-year student here at UC Irvine. She is a proud first-generation college student who is double majoring in political science and education sciences. Irene has received a total of 12 scholarships over the past couple of years, including one from the LA Clippers. As a student advisor at SOP, she hopes to encourage undergraduate students to continue their intellectual pursuits after UCI.
Sophia Baluyot Donaire
Student Advisor | sklrship@uci.edu
Donaire is a first year biological sciences major and a student advisor at the Scholarship Opportunities Program. Some of her accomplishments include obtaining a Disney Scholarship and becoming a finalist for the Nora Folkenflik Essay award. As a student staff member she wishes to direct other students towards exploring all possibilities for their careers during and after undergrad.
Claire Harvey
Marketing Intern | sklrship@uci.edu
Harvey is a fourth year student at University of California, Irvine, majoring in Literary Journalism with a minor in Digital Filmmaking. She is the current social media and marketing intern for the Scholarship Opportunities Program and Phi Beta Kappa. She has worked in a variety of communication related organizations including the New University, ASUCI Student Government, The Voice of OC, and InSight Magazine. Her film was recently showcased in the international Newport Beach Film Festival.
Danielle Heredia
Marketing Intern Assistant | sklrship@uci.edu
Heredia is a third year business administration student under the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine, emphasizing in marketing with a minor in Digital Arts. She is the current marketing and communications development intern assistant for the Scholarship Opportunities Program and Phi Beta Kappa. For 2 years, Danielle has been working as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer, having her work published in two books and various UCI sponsored events.